An image formation material for transferring a photopolymerizable light-sensitive resin layer to a substrate is known from, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 3,884,693. This material is used for the preparation of printedwiring board, intaglio printing plate, letterpress printing plate, nameplate, multi-color printed test sample, offset printing plate, screen printing stencil, etc. The transfer material consists of a support, a separation layer, and a photopolymerizable layer. The substrate and the transfer material are laminated with each other in such a manner that the photopolymerizable layer is brought into contact with the substrate. The temporary peel-off support is then peeled off the material. The material is exposed to light through the separation layer, and then developed to form an image on the substrate. In this structure, the separation layer serves to cut off oxygen to facilitate the exposure in air. The thickness of the separation layer is as small as 0.5 .mu.m to 5 .mu.m. Therefore, the transfer material has no problem in its resolving power.
However, if there is some unevenness on the substrate, when a very thin photopolymerizable layer is transferred to the substrate, bubbles are confined between the photopolymerizable layer and the substrate, causing poor transfer.
DE 3842028.7 discloses a transfer material comprising an interlayer made of a polyvinyl alcohol derivative interposed between a support and a light-sensitive resin layer. However, this interlayer is intended to improve the peelability of the light-sensitive resin layer from the support and the solubility of the light-sensitive resin layer, and no consideration is given to the transfer properties in the case where there is some unevenness on the substrate.
DE 3706528.9 discloses that if there are some minute irregularities on the permanent support or there are some grains such as minute dust on either or both of the permanent support and the transfer layer, sufficient adhesion of the transfer layer to the permanent support is inhibited, causing poor transfer. As a solution to this problem, DE 3706528.9 proposes that a compressible temporary support be used to improve the adhesion. This approach is certainly effective in some cases. However, it is not effective enough to transfer a non-adhesive light-sensitive resin layer to an uneven permanent support having about the same thickness as the non-adhesive light-sensitive resin layer without generating bubbles.
Japanese Patent Application No. 3-120228 proposes the use of a light-sensitive transfer material which comprises a temporary removable support, particularly a gelatin-undercoated plastic film, a thermoplastic resin layer, a separation layer and a light-sensitive resin layer arranged in this order. This Application also proposes an approach which comprises laminating the light-sensitive resin layer to the support, and then simultaneously peeling and removing the temporary support and the thermoplastic resin layer to transfer the light-sensitive resin layer to the support. However, this approach cannot necessarily provide an easy control over the peeling of the thermoplastic resin layer off the separation layer. Thus, this approach leaves much to be desired from the standpoint of automation of peeling work.